The present invention relates in general to a system and method for effecting automatic check-in of baggage by an airline passenger and for controlling the claiming of baggage by the passenger on the basis of information stored at the time of baggage check-in.
The U.S. application Ser. No. 342,658, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,520, filed on Nov. 21, 1994, by Joel R. Goheen, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses an electronic ticketing and reservation system and method in which a person may make a reservation for any pre-planned activity to be participated in at a future date and be admitted to the pre-planned activity without the need to present a paper ticket.
In the Goheen system and method, as applied to airline travel, for example, a prospective passenger will typically place a telephone call to an airline reservation center, obtain flight availability information and book a reservation on a selected future flight. The system then establishes a reservation for the prospective passenger by storing in a central computer personal information concerning the prospective passenger and flight information concerning the selected future flight for which the reservation is being booked. The personal information is basically the passenger's personal identification, such as a personal I.D. number and/or the individual's name, address and telephone number. The flight information will typically include the flight number, date and time of departure, the departure airport and the destination airport. This concludes the reservation process, and unlike other reservation systems and methods, the passenger is not issued a paper ticket. However, the airline will issue a personal identification card to the passenger for use in connection with the current reservation and future reservations made by the passenger with the airline. This personal identification card includes no flight or other reservation information, but carries on a magnetic strip, for example, only information which identifies the individual passenger, such as a passenger personal I.D. number.
When the passenger arrives at the airline terminal on the day of the flight for which he or she has a reservation, the passenger may proceed directly to the gate from which the flight is to depart and presents to an airline agent at the gate the personal identification card, which carries his or her I.D. number or name, as well as proof of identity, such as a driver's license or I.D. card carrying a picture of the passenger. The airline agent then accesses the central computer which stores all reservation information to validate the passenger's reservation for the particular flight which is scheduled to leave from that gate, such as by placing the personal I.D. card in a card reader, which transfers the passenger identification information to the central computer. If the central computer validates the reservation, the passenger is then issued a boarding pass or is allowed to proceed directly onto the airplane. Thus, validation of the passenger's reservation is effected without the need for the passenger to present the typical airline ticket. The elimination of the airline ticket from the reservation process represents a tremendous economical advantage to the airline and also a significant convenience to the passenger.
The passenger I.D. card need be issued to a particular individual by the airline only the first time that individual makes a reservation with the airline, and the card may then be used by the individual in the future for purposes of identification in connection with any future flight reservations made by that individual. This I.D. card may be used by the individual upon arrival at the airline gate for purposes of identifying the individual to the airline agent, and the I.D. card may also be used by the individual upon arrival at the airline terminal to access flight and gate information at an ATM provided at one or more locations in the airline terminal and from which flight information in the central computer records may be accessed. The Pugliese et al U.S. application Ser. No. 08/987,773, filed Dec. 9, 1997, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses various improvements and features applicable to the Goheen method and system. One of the features of the Pugliese et al method concerns baggage check-in at the airline terminal and involves storing in the central computer records information concerning baggage checked by a passenger in connection with a particular airline flight. In this regard, when the passenger arrives at the airline terminal, he or she proceeds to a curb side baggage check-in station where baggage agents employed by the airline assist the passenger in the check-in of baggage. For this purpose, since the passenger has no airline tickets which identify the flight for which he or she has a reservation, the passenger will present to the baggage agent his or her airline personal identification card and other identification information, such as a driver's license, having a picture identification thereon. The baggage agent then places the passenger's airline personal identification card into a card reader, which transmits the passenger I.D. number or the passenger's name to the central computer to verify the flight reservation for this particular passenger. If the reservation is validated by the central computer, the baggage agent will then place a label having an identifying bar code thereon on each item of baggage checked by the passenger and scan the bar codes to input the identifying number accompanying each piece of checked baggage to the central computer records where this information is stored in the passenger record. Thus, the central computer records will store for each passenger information indicating the number of pieces of baggage checked for a particular flight and a bar code number for each piece of baggage so that the baggage may be easily traced in the event that any bag is accidentally misdirected.
While the Pugliese et al method provides an improvement in the handling and tracking of baggage by airline personnel, it still involves the need for baggage agents to assist the passenger in the check-in of baggage upon arrival at the airline terminal. As is well known, a substantial part of the overhead for any business operation is represented in the salaries of its employees, and this is certainly true of the airline industry. If the number of employees can be reduced without reducing the services provided to the passengers by the airline, the cost of operation of the airline can be reduced correspondingly.
It is also known that some passengers are intimidated by the baggage agents provided by the airline at curb side in that these passengers feel an obligation to tip the baggage agent if he is permitted to assist them in the baggage check-in process. Some passengers even feel that their baggage will not be handled properly if they do not provide an adequate tip to the baggage agent. Such passengers often proceed into the terminal and wait in line for a ticket agent simply to check baggage, since they do not feel the same need to tip the ticket agent for handling their baggage. Unfortunately, this can be the cause of a long waiting line at the ticket counter, which can be annoying to passengers who require the services of a ticket agent for more than simply checking baggage for a flight for which they already have a reservation.
Thus, there is a need to provide some means for automatic check-in of baggage by a passenger without the need to obtain the assistance of a baggage agent or other employee of the airlines for this purpose.
Another problem encountered by airline passengers in connection with baggage concerns the claiming of baggage at the destination terminal. Typically, baggage is conveyed onto a carousel type conveyor from which the passengers may retrieve their bags. However, as indicated prominently on signs located in most baggage areas of the airline terminals, many different bags look very much alike, and so it is often very difficult for a passenger to identify his or her bag without inspecting a name tag or other identification provided on each bag. Unfortunately, many passengers who are in a hurry fail to check the identification on a bag which looks like their bag, and proceed to carry off the wrong bag from the airline terminal. Often, it is not until the passenger has arrived home or at his or her hotel that the mistake is discovered. Under these circumstances, at least two people are inconvenienced by the mistake, and the burden is often placed on the airline to see that the error is corrected.
Of even more concern is the possible theft of baggage from the airline terminal. There is usually a large crowd of people around the baggage carousel when the baggage from a particular flight arrives, and so it is very easy for someone to pickup a bag and walk out of the airline terminal without being challenged. Various security systems have been tried which involve the use of security guards to compare baggage checks with the labels attached to individual bags as the passenger is leaving the terminal, but these systems have not been met with favor by the passengers, since they tend to delay the passengers departure from the terminal and are annoying to some passengers.
Thus, there is a need to provide security in the claiming of baggage at an airline terminal in such a way that the baggage may be checked without delaying the passenger's departure from the terminal.